Pretty Pretty Princess
by zlinka
Summary: Gokudera finishes a fight and his partner is no where to be seen.


Gokudera was way too angry right now to care that he was making a scene. He didn't care that the 10th was standing a little behind him and to the left, trying to calm his right hand man down by patting the air and saying "Now Gokudera-kun..." in a slightly worried voice. Hell, the only reason that he even acknowledged Baseball-Idiot's "Ha ha aren't we all such good friends," headlock was because the lack of oxygen was beginning to make his vision fuzz around the edges.

The only thing that mattered was that this chicken shit of a Family heir was trying to start something and in front of important witnesses. The 10th, who wouldn't know that that was what the chicken shit was doing, Bronco, who would, and several people who all just happened to be in front of Namimori High School when classes got out.

Bronco had come to pick up the 10th for some "we survived Reborn's tutoring" bonding. It was a surprise, according to Bronco, but Gokudera knew that Reborn already knew. The baby knew everything. Possibly because he saw such an important figure in the mafia community, Naito Longchamp, 8th generation heir to the Tomaso family, a.k.a. Chicken Shit, came over and started his shit.

Currently Ass Hat, yeah Ass Hat was a much better alias than Chicken Shit, was mentioning things that really didn't need to be mentioned. Like the fact that Gokudera had a male lover. Or more precisely that Gokudera was probably the bitch in the relationship. Or in Ass Hat's words, "the pretty pretty Princess."

An explanation was called for...

Apparently Gokudera was living in a shounen-ai manga or some other crap, because the second he and his partner made their relationship public, there were a million and six fucking love sick rejects trying date him and/or his partner. There were also a few really creepy rabid fan girls who were quite certain that they could "fix" Gokudera with the power of their vagina, but that's another story all together.

The fucking love sick rejects were the real issue, because many of them were from the mafia. They had specialties that they used to try and get their man. Some of them tried love potions, which didn't really work because both Gokudera and his partner learned the important lesson of don't take candy from strangers, "strangers" included "sisters" in Gokudera's case, at a very young age. Others tried elaborate plots to put either Gokudera or his partner in compromising positions that would cause the couple to break up. These attempts were laughable, because by the time Gokudera or his partner arrived at the scene where the compromising situation was to take place, the offending party was usually beaten so badly that he couldn't lift a finger, much less other more interesting sections of his anatomy.

What Ass Hat was talking about was the latest episode in the soap opera that had been Gokudera's life ever since he had tried to date somebody publicly. One of the fucking love sick rejects was somebody from his past, who he had considered a friend. Gokudera had agreed to go with him to a nearby cafe and bakery to catch up and shit. Next thing he knows he's getting a face full of knock out gas and everything goes dark.

When he came to he was tied up and suspended by a chain from the ceiling. But the reject didn't want Gokudera, he wanted Gokudera's partner, and he was going to use Gokudera's life as a bargaining chip for a date. Well fuck that!

Gokudera was about to slip the ropes and blow that loser's ass up, but his partner showed up. For the first time in living memory, Gokudera had had his honor defended, albeit unwillingly. It was the most embarrassing moment of his life. And to make it all worse, the 10th was there with Reborn, the other Guardians, Bronco and some of his followers.

Of course something like that was going to spread. The fact that Turf Head was even within 10 blocks of the event guaranteed that. However etiquette decreed that it was never to be brought to the attention by someone who hadn't been there to the person that the event revolved around.

Ass Hat Longchamp, in a desperate attempt to gain an upper hand against the Vongola, had done just that. He was trying to use the incident as proof that his family was stronger. Apparently because Gokudera, someone born and raised by the Family, needed to be rescued by an "outsider" meant that the 10th was failing as a boss.

The 10th could never fail as a boss! Meeting the 10th was the greatest thing that had ever happened to Gokudera. If this fucker thought that he could talk about the 10th like that...

...But Gokudera hadn't been put in the state of blind rage because of that. That was just annoying, and the 10th could defend himself. That had only made him pissed off. He was still willing to listen to the 10th and there was no need to restrain him.

"You know Goku-chan," Ass Hat said as though he had a right to utter Gokudera's name at all, let alone giving him a nickname. "If you aren't careful, you boyfriends is going to get tired of rescuing the Pretty Pretty Princess. But that's okay. When he leaves your ass, I'll introduce you to one of my girls."

"So generous of you," Gokudera mocked. Just remembering the "women" Longchamp went after was enough to give a person nightmares.

"Of course, he'll get bored sooner or later. Maybe he'll want to be part of a real Family." Nobody talked about Gokudera's Family like that. He was going to kill the bastard.

At this point Baseball Idiot put the arm around Gokudera. Because Gokudera had gone from pissed to potential assault if not handled with care.

"He's probably bored right now," Ass Hat continued conversationally. At this point his "girl," more like monster wearing a female-suit, his tutor, and that freaky chick who's always with him, all began backing away from their boss. "Everyone knows that the only turn on he has is strength and you just proved that you didn't have any after all."

Suddenly Gokudera's rage reached that weird peak of zen. He was so angry that his body calmed him down so that he could savor it. Baseball Idiot's arm loosened a little.

"You think so?" Gokudera asked in a detached voice. Baseball Idiot's arm tightened again and his voice had a slight desperate tone to it when he started laughing.

"I know so. When he leaves you, I'll be ready to show him true strength," Ass Hat grinned at this.

"By crying at him?" Gokudera asked. Ass Hat's main weapon for fighting was the desolation bullet. Maybe there was something else, but Gokudera doubted it.

"By showing him that he'll never need to rescue me," Ass Hat managed to say with a small degree of dignity.

"Because nobody wants you," Gokudera answered.

"Plenty of people want me," Ass Hat answered hotly.

"Yeah," Gokudera agreed, before he could think better of it, "Dead."

Ass Hat paused and looked sly. His lackeys, who up until then had been backing up suddenly leaned in anxiously. Gokudera could hear the trap slam shut at his words.

"That sounds like a challenge," Ass Hat's tutor said, fixing his glasses so the light gleamed off the rims. "The 8th accepts."

"Huh?" he heard the 10th ask in a panicked tone.

A rather large crowd had begun to form. Some of Dino's men had come out of hiding, students had been drawn in by all the commotion, and Gokudera's partner came into view. Nobody looked happy, but especially not Gokudera's partner.

There was a hissing sound from a near by wall and Reborn stepped out of it. He had a green whistle around his neck and was wearing a black and white striped shirt instead of his regular suit. Although he still wore his trade mark fedora.

"As the challenged, Naito Longchamp of the Tomaso family can name wager," he announced to the audience in general and the participants in particular.

"Well then," Ass Hat's grin grew, "I'll take your lover. Hibari Kyouya, Vongola guardian of the cloud."

And that is how Gokudera currently found himself being so angry that he ignored his beloved 10th and shrugged off Baseball Idiot as though he didn't even feel his arm wrapped so tightly around his neck that he was about to pass out due to lack of oxygen.

Ass Hat had just done the unthinkable. He had called Hibari Gokudera's "lover." This was a word that nobody was allowed to use when talking about Gokudera and Hibari's relationship. In Gokudera's vocabulary "lover" was a word used for dirty secret affairs that you were ashamed of. His mother had been a lover, she had been killed because of it. Ass Hat had essentially threatened the life of the one Gokudera loved, not that he had told anyone that he loved Hibari yet.

"You can't ask for Hibari Kyouya," Bronco said, which actually didn't calm Gokudera down. Gokudera wasn't angry about his partner being the prize. "Kyou-chan is not Haya-chan's to give."

It just went to show how angry Gokudera was that he didn't turn on Bronco for that. He hated it when Bronco used those stupid nicknames. As though all of them were bestest best friends or something. It didn't help that Bronco offered to let them call him "Di-chan," because of how "cute it would sound."

Ass Hat just grinned at the news, "That's right," he said cheerfully, like he hadn't known that to begin with. "Then we'll take the consolation prize, Hayato Gokudera."

Gokudera didn't calm down at being called the consolation prize, but his anger became more focused. It wasn't quite zen, but it was close enough. Now that there was a very good outlet for all his anger to go he was going to enjoy this.

"That is an acceptable wager," Reborn nodded officially. "Hayato Gokudera, Vongola Storm Guardian, name the conditions."

Gokudera's mind raced to what he knew about the fighting style of his opponent, which was very little. Ass Hat mostly used the Desolation Bullet, which was much like the Dying Will Bullet, with the exception that instead of making a person want to achieve their latest regret, it made a person want to atone for their latest failure. This usually resulted in a mostly naked person huddling on the ground and sobbing about all their failings.

"Here and now," Gokudera decided quickly. "No outside help or specialized bullets. KO or tap out wins."

"Those conditions are acceptable," Reborn declared. "Clear the area," he ordered and suddenly Bronco's men started rounding students up and ushering them off of school property. Bronco started herding the 10th and Baseball Idiot to a safer location, and Ass Hat's cronies moved out of the way. Briefly Gokudera met Hibari's eyes from where he perched on the edge of the schools roof. Hibari just raised an eyebrow at him.

Once the field was cleared, Reborn motioned both fighters forward. Ass Hat wore a stupid grin the whole time. Gokudera was pretty sure that the idiot was just a masochist who was looking forward to getting his rocks off from the beating he was about to receive.

The whistle blew and both combatants sprang forward. Gokudera palmed a stick of dynamite and lit it in one motion. As he passed Ass Hat he gently put the stick in Ass Hat's shirt pocket. Gokudera turned slowly to watch the first explosion, which didn't happen because Ass Hat was encased in a pod, which was peeling back to show a naked man sobbing into his knees.

"I'm worthless," Ass Hat sobbed. "I'm so pitiful. Nobody loves me and even my girlfriend had to be hired."

There was a small, damp explosion to Ass Hat's side, where his shirt had ended up, soaked in the liquids of fail. Gokudera felt his rage disappearing and being replaced by pity.

"There's nobody in my life who cares if I live or die," Ass Hat continued, sobbing loudly and wetly. "I even have to try and steal my friends from other families."

"I'm so pathetic that I set you up for a duel! I cheated! If you lose I might get your lover too!" he continued.

Gokudera felt his anger returning. There Ass Hat went, threatening Gokudera's partner, again.

"It's not like your lover would look at me twice. I'm so pathetic that even my most awesome attack doesn't work on him. I have to use underhanded tricks to get any attention at all"

Gokudera waited patiently through all the sobbing and self pity that Ass Hat spewed out until the effect of the desolation bullet, or possibly pill, ended. Slowly he approached the still naked, but no longer sobbing boy with his arms held wide.

Ass Hat must have thought that Gokudera was offering a hug, because he immediately ran towards Gokudera, with his arms stretched out as well. Once again he was crying, but these appeared to be tears of joy/victory.

As soon as Ass Hat was in range, Gokudera reached out, pulled him forward and face first on to the ground. Then he knelt onto the small of his back and grabbed Ass Hat's hair. Gokudera pulled the Ass Hat into the yoga position known as the viper. Ass Hat cried out in pain, and some of the audience whispered their sympathy for the mafia heir.

Gokudera used Ass Hat's gaping mouth to stuff a stick of dynamite in it, with the long wick sticking out between the lips. Casually he reached into his back pocket and took out a lighter, which he used to light the wick. Ass Hat began to sweat profusely as he tried to spit out the dynamite, but Gokudera clamped his hand over his mouth.

"You're right," Gokudera said conversationally. "You are nothing but a sad pathetic excuse for a human being. Hell, you're so sad that as soon as this is over I'm going to have to wash the fail off of me, because incompetence is probably contagious," the wick hissed away, edging closer to Ass Hat's mouth.

"There's just one little thing you should know before this is finished though," Gokudera put his mouth right next to Ass Hat's Ear. "Never ever call him my lover again," he ordered as the wick passed between his fingers. Ass Hat suddenly went limp and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

"Or else next time I will use a waterproof wick," he added sweetly, slowly standing up and stepping away from the passed out form of Naito Longchamp, eighth heir to the Tomaso family.

Reborn began the count down. Gokudera waited, never taking his eyes off the limp form of Ass Hat, but all his readiness was for not. Reborn reached zero and still the idiot didn't move, unless you count foaming at the mouth as movement.

There was silence when Reborn reached zero. The deep and awkward of a crowd not talking. Not even birds sang. Gokudera was pretty sure that he was going to hear murmurs and whispers. Especially from the few rabid fan girls who hadn't given up hope that he would straighten out, as it were.

He looked up to where he had last seen Hibari, who was no longer there. Not that he was expecting Hibari to watch, it was more of a habit from the days before they started dating. A kind of, "I told you I wouldn't wreck the fucking school," moment that they used to share. Mostly because if he had wrecked the school, he would have been severely beaten to within an inch of his life. He was never going to make that mistake again.

He walked over to the 10th, who had a kind of shocked expression on his face. His eyes were huge and mouth open just a little. Beside him Baseball Idiot and Bronco were looking equally worried. Gokudera approached them, knowing full well that he had just fought a pointless fight, but he was much much calmer then he had been since school let out. So it wasn't too pointless.

"Hey," he said, trying to sound casual. The shock and worry on their faces didn't lessen. "What? It's not like I killed him."

"Kyou-chan's going to be difficult to deal with after this," Bronco said mournfully.

"Why? I didn't fuck up the school did I?" Gokudera demanded, straining back to see the impromptu arena. There didn't seem to be any damage to the school.

"Dude, you just renounced him in front of the whole school," Baseball Idiot laughed, but it wasn't the normal stupid happy laugh that he usually used. This was the sad laugh that meant there really was nothing funny, but he was to stupid not to laugh about it.

"Huh?" Gokudera asked intelligently. What the hell were they talking about?

"You said "Don't call him my lover,"" the 10th said quietly.

"You heard that?" Gokudera asked, not really wanting an answer. If the 10th heard it, then Hibari definitely heard it. He had ears like a bat after all...

"It would be so like him to get all emo-bitchy about that shit," Gokudera muttered, ignoring the shocked gasps of the 10th and his friends. "I better go find the idiot before he does something stupid. Or illegal. Or stupidly illegal."

Gokudera reached the roof, feeling mildly annoyed that he had to go out searching for his boyfriend now. They usually met after Gokudera had dropped the 10th off and Hibari had finished assaulting unsuspecting rule breakers. Gokudera had a good half an hour before it was "us" time, or whatever the hell it was they had labeled the potential train wrecks that were their dates.

Between the constant assault of would be suitors and their own tempers it was a wonder that half of the city hadn't disappeared and they didn't break up as loudly and violently as possible. They had been in an official couple for a month now and they were still together. That had to be a record of something... The "I survived a month of dating Hibari Kyouya" record. Obviously next to it would be the "Gokudera Hayato hasn't blown me up in the month that we were dating" record.

The roof had a very distinct lack of Hibari. There weren't even signs that pointed to Hibari having been there at all today. Not that Gokudera had been expecting any. Hibari kept his love, the school, as pristine as possible.

Gokudera decided to leave the roof before he became jealous of a building. He had known when he started dating Hibari that he would have to share the bastard sometimes. He just didn't want to share him right now, but he was being forced to because his idiot boyfriend was being an idiot!

The next stop was the visitors lounge that Hibari had commandeered for the the discipline committee. This room was the room where they met for the first time. Some might say that they fell in love at first assault. Gokudera knew that he had felt some very strong emotions, but love was definitely not one of them. Anger, pain, shame at being taken out so easily, and a minor bit of lust, but definitely not love.

Love, came much later. After the fight against Mukuro and his goons Gokudera and Hibari had reached a kind of grudging friendship. It was no longer attack first ask questions later, it was wary glances and grudging nods. During the ring battle those wary glances turned curious and the nods were accompanied by smirks and sometimes even smiles. After the Battle for the Sky, when Hibari had returned the favor and saved Gokudera's life, possibly accidentally, curiosity grew hot. They shared their first kiss several weeks later What had started as tentative kisses and shy gropes turned into hot and heavy make out/groping sessions. Then that had turned into an actual relationship. One where they talked stuff like the future and their feelings.

It was ridiculous how things had turned out. If he had been told that first day of meeting that the guy who had just laid him out with one hit would be his boyfriend, he would have blown the messenger up and toasted a marshmallow on the flames of the burning victim. He had been very certain that he would never even tolerate the bastard, let alone trust him with his teeth anywhere near Gokudera's face. Man they had both been idiots back then.

They still were sometimes. Like right now, because they were playing a stupid game of hide and seek instead of enjoying the afterglow of victory. Kissing was so awesome after a fight. Over the clothes groping was was awesome too. They hadn't gotten to under the clothes groping yet, but Gokudera was sure that an adrenaline rush would make that equally awesome too. Victory was the best aphrodisiac ever.

Hibari was not in the visitor lounge either. There also wasn't a clue about where he would have gone. Once you got past the two favorite places, Hibari could be anywhere. Gokudera was pretty sure he was still on campus, because there were still students on the grounds. Hibari was very diligent about dispensing discipline to the student body. As long as there were students on ground, Hibari was likely to be there.

So, where would he go? Someplace high, where Hibird could fly around and he could spy on the student populace. Well, the front part of the roof was a no, but there were still several areas of the roof that Gokudera hadn't checked yet. He'd start at the roof, then make his way down. If all else failed he would stake out Hibari's apartment... is what he would like to do, but he didn't know where Hibari lived.

Gokudera trudged back up the stairs in search of his possibly boyfriend. Ass he thought, there was no sign of him on the roof. He didn't answer to Gokudera's calls of "Hibari", "Sociopath", "Whiny Emo-Bitch Boyfriend", and once in desperation "Sweetheart."

Hibari also ignored Gokudera's blatant rule breaking. Normally if Gokudera even took a cigarette out of the carton on school grounds there would be instant tonfa discipline. However he had just finished his third one in a row and there still wasn't a sign of his boyfriend. This was a bad sign.

Gokudera found himself in one of the schools music rooms. Gokudera had never been in these rooms, but he had passed by them when the school choir, school band, or some pop idol wannabe were practicing on several occasions. He knew their purpose and roughly the equipment in them, so it really wasn't surprising to find a baby grand in one of the room. What was surprising was that there was a microphone that was connected to the school's PA system sitting in the middle of the room with a note attached to it.

"You know what I want to hear," it read cryptically, in very familiar hand writing.

Gokudera sighed, crumpling the paper up and throwing it into the nearest trash can. He was not apologizing in front of the whole school, which wasn't exactly what Hibari was asking for. Hibari knew better than to ask for a public apology. Only the 10th could ask for that and expect it to happen. What Hibari wanted was an apology, that only he would recognize. He wanted the school's fight song.

Gokudera hated that song. Or more precisely he hated all fight songs. They were assaults on the ear drum, played as loudly as possible with nor audible key that anybody knows of. The words were always the same"aren't we great and don't they suck" message and did was make people excited for sports, which are just as stupid if not stupider than the fight songs.

Gokudera was tempted to ignore the letter and keep looking for his partner, but he knew that if Hibari didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be. Hibari was like oxygen sometimes. It was always there, but you rarely saw it, and if there was too much of it it was explosive. He ignored the part of the analogy that meant that Hibari was necessary sustained life.

With a huff Gokudera sat down on the piano bench, flipped the microphone on and growled menacingly.

"Alright Whiny Emo-Bitch, and you know who you are. This one's for you," he snarled before delicately placing his fingers on the keyboard and hitting the opening chords. He hummed the words to the song because like everyone, except Hibari and Hibird, he didn't actually know what they were.

He let his frustration at the situation and Hibari flow through his body, into the keys, and out of the room to everybody's ears. His anger at Chicken Shit for causing a scene. His irritation at Hibari for pulling this disappearing act. Even his annoyance at himself for loosing his temper in the first place. He took all those emotions and and poured them into the one song he hated above all other, but that the person he was with loved above all others.

When the last notes died away Gokudera felt much better. This time his growl into the microphone was not one of aggression and anger, it was one of challenge and promise. "Are you happy now, Pillow Biter?"

Gokudera turned the mike off, shut the piano keys away, and spun to face the door with a smile on his face. There lurking in the shadows was an smirking Hibari, who slowly moved into the light with Hibird perched on his shoulder. Gokudera kept smiling, even as Hibari grew closer and closer.

"You're awfully affectionate today," Hibari purred. "Such loving pet names. Whiny Emo-Bitch. Pillow Biter. _Sweetheart._" Gokudera blushed at that last one. It was the one that most ticked Hibari off. "That's some apology you gave."

"I don't even know why I'm apologizing," Gokudera said honestly. "You should know why I said what I did."

"I should?" Hibari asked, eyes turning sharp and dangerous.

"Yeah," Gokudera could feel himself getting angry again. It was just like Hibari to fuck with his mind. "You know that I lo...li... ca... grrr," he finished, now becoming angry at himself. He was going to say this right if it was the last thing he did, "You know that I didn't mean that I didn't want people to know that we're together like that. Fuck, I..." Gokudera took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I... more than tolerate you," he finished lamely.

Maybe Hibari would understand though. They weren't touchy feely. At all.

"That's not why you're apologizing," Hibari stated coldly.

"It's not about the L-word?" Gokudera asked confused. Baseball Idiot had sounded so sure about that being the reason for all this. Suddenly Gokudera's mind flashed to what it could have been, "If there was any damage to the school it was Ass Hat's fault. I didn't do it."

"There was no damage to the school. You would have known right away if there was."

"Yeah," Gokudera chuckled, "In the most painful and probably humiliating way possible if I know you. So, the school's okay and it's not about being "denied" in front of witnesses," Gokudera said slowly, eying his boyfriend cautiously. This might just be a trap. "Then... what the fuck?"

"You defended my honor," Hibari accused.

"Huh?"

"I do not need to be defended from a weak herbivore by a weak herbivore," Hibari snarled, turning bright pink in anger.

"When did that happen?" Gokudera asked, ignoring the herbivore comment for now. He would definitely remember if he had defended Hibari. Whatever.

Hibari's eyebrow twitched. This meant that he had a problem that couldn't be solved by violence. It was happening a lot more often lately.

Hibari huffed and growled, but didn't really respond.

"Are- Are you sulking?" Gokudera asked, completely fascinated by the idea.

"I don't sulk!" Hibari snarled.

Gokudera grinned and listened to the masochistic part of his brain that loved pushing Hibari's buttons, "You were the Pretty Pretty Princess."

"Don't make me kill you," Hibari growled, straddling the bench next to Gokudera. Gokudera just chuckled and placed his head onto Hibari's shoulder, leaving himself vulnerable to attack. He was rewarded with a sigh and a hand stroking his hair.

They sat in an almost good silence for a while. But it would need to be broken eventually, and knowing the two of them, the longer the silence lasted the worse the silence breaker would be. If it lasted to much longer it would probably be something like Stupid Cow bursting in, demanding candy, crying all over the place, and then peeing on one or both of them. Gokudera decided that he needed to stop that from happening at any cost.

"Does that mean that you're Princess Pillow Biter now?" he asked, knowing full well that he was just asking for an ass kicking.

Surprisingly enough he did not get his ass kicked for the comment. Instead Hibari chuckled, "Only if you're Princess Pickle Smoker."

Gokudera snorted, "Who knew sulking gave you a sense of humor?"


End file.
